The present invention recognizes that it can be difficult for a viewer to input textual information into a television using a remote control for various purposes. For example, if a user of an Internet-enabled TV would like to search the Internet for video related to “Subject A” so that the video can be played on the TV, there is no easy way to give the TV this information, unlike a computer which has a keyboard that can be used. A keyboard can be provided with a TV, but as understood herein this is not fully consistent with the relaxed user experience that is typically associated with watching television.
As also recognized herein, another option for allowing user input is to use a “soft keyboard” that appears on the screen, and that requires the user to use cursor keys on the remote control to select individual characters of the desired search subject. As also understood herein, however, such a way to input text is tedious.